Dear Friends,
It is Monday 16 June (I need to email this to the editor today) and I have just planted out my tomato and runner bean plants. The tomatoes are in grow bags in the green house and the runner beans are planted among the gladioli. The beans were given me by my father and were planted and tended inside cardboard tubes in a shoe box of compost. This was a tip I got from Martin and he gave me the inside tubes of toilet rolls to start me off. I told Dad about this and he also used this method of cultivation.
This is the first time I have deliberately grown anything from seed for many years. Martin and Dai gave me the tomato plants which they had grown from seed. My mission is to remember to water them and enjoy the beans and the tomatoes. I have sorted out bamboo sticks, which were at the back of the garage, to support them. The tomato plants are tied to the bamboo with gardener’s twine. I have been bean twiddling to encourage the beans to embrace the bamboo and support themselves on it. I seem to remember that bean twiddling encourages the bean plants to grow in an anticlockwise way up the stick. I know that you have to do it the right way or the beans won’t respond! When I was a teenager in Old Warden in Bedfordshire I spent several summers working in fields where stick beans were grown and bean twiddling was one of my jobs at this time of the year.
When I first arrived in Hall Green in July 2005 I quickly realised that Hall Green was a place that was noted for its gardens and gardeners. Whenever I visited anyone I noticed how important the gardens were. Some of you reading this article will say that you don’t have time to garden or have the energy for it any more. Some people may never have been interested in it. Like Martin, I find gardening helps me to relax and do something practical and this helps to ground me. My husband Tony has never been interested in this as a form of relaxation but he knows how important it is for me.
July is a time for gardening. Hopefully there is time for everyone to enjoy their garden as well as work in it. Cutting grass is a dominant activity this month. Michael Mayne wrote a beautiful book called ‘Learning to Dance’. In it he takes each month and describes it in terms of a dance. He also reminds his readers what the theme in the various Medieval Books of Hours was for that month. In July the theme is harvesting and the dance is one of words and paint and music. Last month the working weekend was very thoroughly involved in tidying and improving our grounds ready for St Peter’s Festival. Many thanks to all who were involved in that. Many hands did make lighter work and enabled us to do more than we had hoped to achieve. Do you like the new banner? It’s rather splendid isn’t it? Thank you to everyone who made the festival such a success.
This month is a time for us to welcome our new curate, Joycelyn Lewis. You have already heard from her last month so this month is a time for each person to have a conversation with her and help her settle in. Joycelyn and I will be working closely together during July and August. The Curate’s house at 4 Etwall Road will be a base for both of us for the next two months. Joycelyn will be able to move into the house when I start my new post.
In January of this year I was asked to see Archdeacon Brian Russell. I was surprised when he told me that he and the bishop had something in mind for me. I was also sad that I would be leaving St Peter’s. Over the last three years St Peter’s and Hall Green have both given me so much that is rich and sustaining for present and future ministry in church and community. When applying for a new post in the Birmingham diocese, each person is required to fill in a detailed ten page self evaluation form which covers every aspect of ministry one can think of. The parish is to provide a parish profile and a letter of application is written which relates to this profile. This was my task for May and towards the end of May I had an interview with the archdeacon, the area dean, the lay chair of the deanery synod and the two church wardens. On the day of the interview Tony and I were able to see the church and the house. I went to see the Bishop of Birmingham and I received a letter formally offering me the position of vicar.
At the time of writing I cannot say where I am going, but by the time you read this I will have been able to make a public announcement. The announcement has to be made on the same day in the parish where I am and the parish where I am going. This system of appointments of clergy to parishes is a centuries old system. It is quite different from the normal way of applying for jobs. If I wanted to apply for a post I could have done this by looking to see what vacancies were advertised in the church press. Tony and I both want to stay in the Birmingham diocese. We have made our home in the West Midlands.
Thank you for the support you are giving me while Martin is on sabbatical. I know that Martin works very hard in church and community because I have worked alongside him for the last three years. He is very conscientious and he will greatly benefit from being given time out from his church commitments. Working six days a week can mean that reserve energy becomes depleted. Working where you live is normal for parish work, but it can be beneficial to get a fresh perspective on the situation. Rest is important for all of us. July is a time when some of us go on holiday, so I hope that everyone who has plans to go away comes back refreshed.
Next month I will write about my new post and tell you why it is a good place for me to serve God.
With love and prayers,
Jo.